Discover Bora Aksu‘s Spring Summer 2021 Collection, inspired by the World War I, the influenza pandemic of 1918, and the decadence of 1920’s, presented on September 18th, during the ongoing London Fashion Week. The collection explores these contrasting times and the change in women’s roles in society, as well as the styles changes and the way women rediscovered their femininity.
SPRING SUMMER 2021 WOMENSWEAR COLLECTION
“The first World War brought women into the workplace on a scale never witnessed before. In many cases, girls were usually young aristocrats between the ages of eighteen to their early thirties. Some of these women came from privileged back grounds where they had never previously experienced manual work. By swapping their ball gowns for nurse’s uniforms, these new nurses entered the public service sphere and truly experienced life in unexpected new ways.
As World War one was approaching its end, nothing could have prepared them for what was to come. Infecting up to half the world’s population, the lethal flu pandemic occurred during World War I and the death toll far outstripped that of the war. Nurses once again put themselves on the front line and made their rounds to as many patients as they could, working endlessly to save the infected.
Until the beginning of the year 1920, the world was in a state of total chaos. In contrast to the previous years, the early 1920’s were about victory, peace and prosperity. Night clubs, jazz clubs and cocktail bars began to flourish and became very popular in the cities. This hedonistic lifestyle was an escape from the past reality.” – From Bora Aksu